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Sunday, December 22, 2013

The idea of being mentioned as a contender for the Calder Trophy as one of the NHL’s top rookies this season is something Devils defenseman Eric Gelinas says is “flattering”, but also “too early” to discuss.

At this point, Gelinas, though confident in his play, is being careful not to assume that he’s guaranteed a spot on the team for the rest of the season.

It is true the Devils are not yet at the midway point in their season as they brace to visit the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks Monday in both teams final game before the league’s three-day Christmas break. Still, the list of players who have done more than Gelinas this season to change for the better the way the Devils play probably starts and ends with Jaromir Jagr, who continues to defy his age of 41 by leading the team with 13 goals, 20 assists and 33 points.

From the moment Gelinas stepped into to the lineup on Oct. 24 against Vancouver, scoring his first NHL goal that night in a 3-2 shootout loss, Jagr has been touting the 22-year-old Vanier, Ontario native as a difference maker.

“I’m the only one who could see it right away,” Jagr bragged.

Gelinas ranks second in the NHL among rookie defensemen with 15 points (four goals, 11 assists) in 28 games, behind only Boston’s Torey Krug, who has 18 points in 36 games. Jagr also warns “it’s not even half of the season,” but believes Gelinas “should be for sure” a Calder contender.

“Some guys have better stats, but he wasn’t here for first (nine) games and he’s getting better and better,” Jagr said.

Gelinas, a 2009 Devils’ second-round draft pick, knows there’s still plenty of room for improvement, but couldn’t have asked for more as far as how the season has gone for him so far.

“If any guy could picture a perfect scenario – I’m not saying I was perfect in every game, I’ve had some tough games, but overall if you look at everything I think I’m doing a decent job,” he said. “I’m just trying to help out as much as I can to try to get some wins here for the team.”

Gelinas’ powerful point shot has added a weapon to the Devils’ arsenal that goaltender Martin Brodeur can’t remember the team having in is 20 seasons with the team. Gelinas also is not afraid to use his shot – his 64 shots leads Devils defensemen – or to be aggressive in jumping into the play offensively.

“As of late, he’s definitely one of the guys that just brings a different dimension that I don’t remember having that on our team,” Brodeur said. “Just the way he jumps into the play all the time and he’s always lurking and has a good stride and he’s always involved and skating all the time and his shot, it’s just going to help us more and more. When teams will start to understand how hard he shoots it, it’s going to open up so many other things for us. It’s going to give other players space. Like when play (Alex) Ovechkin, we try to keep him away, but it opens up other areas of the ice.”

The defensive side of Gelinas’ game is still a work in progress and he’s had some off nights, but has also shown an ability to learn from his mistakes and rebound quickly. One such instance occurred last week when assistant coach Scott Stevens talked to the 6-foot-4, 210-pound Gelinas about needing to play with more of a physical edge, particularly in the defensive zone.

Gelinas followed up in the next game by leading the team with four hits – and also had a goal and an assist – in a 5-2 win over Ottawa on Wednesday.

“The offensive stuff is the stuff that jumps out at you that comes naturally to him,” Devils coach Pete DeBoer said. “All the other parts of the game are the areas he has to improve and he knows that and it’s a daily process. He takes a step forward and a step back, but I like his coachability. You show him something and he tries to implement it the next night.”

Brodeur can see in Gelinas that willingness to put in the work to get better.

“He cares,” Brodeur said. “Because of the relationship with the French players, I talk to him a lot. He’s really excited. He really wants to work on his defensive game, but just the fearless kind of attitude he has about playing offensively is something that it’s been a long while that we didn’t have.”

As well as he has played, Gelinas knows he can’t get comfortable yet. With Bryce Salvador on the verge of returning from a broken foot and Adam Larsson, who has been out since Nov. 23 with a lower-body injury, not far behind, the Devils will have some tough lineup decisions to make on defense and Gelinas is not counting on anything.

“Personally, one of my favorite sayings in the world is never take anything for granted,” Gelinas said. “Even if I play well, nothing’s guaranteed that I’m going to stay here. You never know. I might go back to Albany and if that happens I just have to do the same thing I did in training camp or if I stay here I have to continue to play well.”

***The Devils will play in Chicago Monday for the first time since a 5-3 win on Nov. 3, 2010 (a game in which Brodeur’s elbow was bruised by a Patrick Kane shot). The teams will meet again on Jan. 3 at Prudential Center.

The Devils know they will face a difficult challenge against the Blackhawks, but Brodeur said it’s more about facing a very good team that includes Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, Marian Hossa, Duncan Keith, etc. than playing the reigning Cup champs, particularly after a lockout shortened season.

“Last year was so different,” Brodeur said. “We look at the lineup we played (Saturday in Washington) and we know all the names and we turn around and play Chicago and it’s going to be similar. We played Anaheim and they have these two big guys (Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf). When you play good teams, you’re facing good players, so it’s going to be interesting.

Only a small group of players are scheduled to skate today at United Center. I will not be going to Chicago, but will do a live post during the game Monday.

***The Devils’ 5-4 overtime win in Washington Saturday was their fifth this season in which they trailed after two periods. That ties them with Chicago and Washington for the most in the NHL.

The Devils also trailed after two periods in wins over Boston (4-3 on Oct. 26), Anaheim (4-3 overtime win on Nov. 20), Carolina (5-2 on Nov. 29) and the Rangers (4-3 in overtime on Dec. 7)

About

TOM GULITTI has covered the New Jersey Devils for The Record since 2002. Prior to that, he covered the New York Rangers for four years. Gulitti joined The Record in 1998 after six years at The North Jersey Herald News. He graduated from Binghamton University in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts in Rhetoric-Literature.